GSC Game World — the developer of the long-awaited open-world survival shooter STALKER 2 that released in November to much critical and player fanfare — has partnered with Ukraine's official fundraising platform UNITED24 to raise money for generators for Ukrainian schools. Specifically, the company is raffling away special pieces of STALKER 2 memorabilia to folks who donate at least $10, with more valuable prizes on offer for people who give $24 or more to the cause.
This "Heart of Gold" giveaway supports UNITED24's Bring Light Back initiative, which aims to "raise money towards generators for 112 schools in Ukraine" and ultimately "help over 30,000 Ukrainian children return to their studies this winter." Since the onset of Russia's war of aggression in the region in 2022, Russian artillery, air, and missile strikes have left many schools and other structures in Ukrainian towns and cities without critically needed power. Bring Light Back's ultimate goal is $1 million; at the time of writing, $481,299 — nearly half of that amount — has been raised.
"Cold, dark, grim environments are perfect for thrilling survival horror games, not actual schools," reads the fundraiser's official webpage. "Let’s bring back some light and warmth to them. Let’s make sure Ukrainian kids can continue their education this winter."
You can donate to the fundraiser here; those who donate $10 or more will have a chance to win one of 20 STALKER 2 game keys and one of 20 limited edition STALKER 2 T-shirts, while donating $24 or more will give you a chance to win one of three UNITED24 and STALKER 2-themed radiation dosimeters and one of 10 Ultimate Editions of STALKER 2, complete with all the associated collectibles. If you decide to participate in the raffle, UNITED24 notes it's important to make sure you leave your email when you donate so that it can reach out if you end up winning one or more prizes.
UNITED24 was developed by Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskyy in 2022 in response to supporters worldwide asking how they can help the country and its people during the ongoing war, and has raised nearly $1 billion for a wide variety of initiatives since its creation. At present, it's responsible for coordinating 36 different projects, including drives for defense, medical and humanitarian aid, education, science, and rebuilding efforts.
The organization shares weekly income and expenditure reports in an effort to be as transparent as possible, and explains that all donations are first transferred to Ukraine's national bank, then are distributed to different ministries for allocation. It's also audited by the leading auditing firms Deloitte and BDO to verify that funds are being used correctly and appropriately. For more information, I recommend reading UNITED24's About page.
GSC Game World's staff and STALKER 2 itself has been and continues to be directly affected by the war — I strongly, strongly recommend watching this "War Game" documentary film about their stories — so it's especially touching to see the studio leverage the popularity of its game to support a cause as great as Bring Light Back. If you'd like to support the initiative and can afford to do so, you should; after all, you might win some sweet STALKER 2 prizes if you do.
STALKER 2 itself was already a great game when it came out in late November (read my review), but it's gotten even better since launch thanks to a series of speedy and meaty updates from GSC Game World. Rapid hotfixes quickly addressed many of the shooter's worst bugs and issues, and a colossal 1.1 update in December brought a staggering 1,800+ improvements to the game. Among these were extensive fixes for STALKER 2's A-Life AI simulation system, resulting in the open world of The Zone feeling even more dynamic and alive than it did initially.
STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl has arrived on Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC, and is one of this year's best Xbox games and best PC games. It has a $59.99 MSRP, but notably, you can get it for a discount at CDKeys right now. You can also play it through Xbox Game Pass, PC Game Pass, and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.
